Chapter 301
Inside the Yongsheng Mall. The security supervisor was eating and drinking in the control room, though he hadn’t forgotten his duties and kept glancing at the monitors. Everything inside and outside the mall was eerily quiet; even the security guards on patrol rarely appeared on the screens. He took a sip of alcohol and noticed that the guards in the entrance plaza seemed to have been absent for a long time. Picking up the walkie-talkie, he shouted, “What are those guys in the plaza doing? Stop slacking off!” Just as he finished speaking, a person in a security uniform, head down and hands in pockets, appeared in the upper right corner of the monitor screen. He moved around a bit before retreating.
The security supervisor felt a little reassured and continued drinking boldly. Suddenly, he thought something was odd about that person—he was very strict with the guards below, and he knew all the guards on duty in the plaza. No one dared to keep their hands in their pockets in front of the cameras. Just as he was about to use the walkie-talkie to ask what was going on, a scream came from outside. Startled, the supervisor quickly turned the screen to zoom in on the outside. On the screen, a dozen strangers in black had overpowered the guards at the entrance and were rushing toward his control room. Terrified, he trembled and almost rolled off his chair. Without thinking, he locked the door and grabbed the phone to call the headquarters in Nanhongmen.
Although the iron door of the control room provided some protection, it couldn’t stop the Blood Killers led by Sanyan and others. When Ren Changfeng pushed the door and found it locked, he kicked it hard, causing a loud noise that scared the supervisor almost enough to drop the phone. Ren Changfeng kicked the door several times more, but it didn’t budge. Liu Bo pulled him aside and said, “Let me do it!” He pulled out a pistol with a silencer already installed and fired several shots at the lock. A few bullets shattered the lock, and with one kick, the door flew open. The supervisor had just managed to connect the phone and say, “Yongsheng has been attacked,” when Liu Bo and the others rushed in. A dark gun barrel was immediately pressed against his head. Taking advantage of his shock, Sanyan slapped the phone out of his hand and crushed it under his foot, saying coldly, “If you want to live, behave.”
“What… what are you guys doing?” The security chief had never seen anything like this before; his face turned pale as he stammered. Ren Changfeng chuckled and swept his narrow Tang sword across the man’s face, then swung it sharply, slamming it onto the security guard’s head. With a scream, the guard fell to the ground, blood gushing from his forehead. Ren Changfeng said, “It’s not your place to ask. It’s better if you ask less. Now, you can remove the ‘safety measures’ in the mall.” By safety measures, he meant the infrared surveillance devices installed in various places in the mall. If triggered, they would send an alarm directly to the headquarters of Nan Hongmen, as well as activate the mall’s alarm system. Whether the alarm reached Nan Hongmen’s headquarters didn’t matter much to San Yan and the others, but an alarm was a serious problem. Hearing this, the security chief broke into cold sweat, which mixed with blood, turning his round face almost into a Peking opera mask. He spoke incoherently, trembling, “Gentlemen, if I remove the safety measures without permission, I… I’ll lose my life. You…”
“I can tell you one thing: if you don’t remove them, you’ll lose your life right now.” San Yan took the gun from Liu Bo and slowly pulled the trigger against the security guard’s temple.
The security guard could even hear the ‘clicking’ sound of the spring being tightened in the gun. He felt as if he were on the edge of hell. No one is fearless, especially when witnessing death approaching them. The unbearable tension was beyond what an ordinary person could bear—at least he couldn’t. Three seconds seemed like three years to the security chief. He screamed, “Don’t… don’t shoot! I’ll do as you say! Don’t kill me!”
San Yan and Ren Changfeng exchanged a glance, revealing smiles that were hard for outsiders to notice. But their smiles vanished quickly as they turned their heads away.
10:30, Nanhongmen headquarters. Upon receiving the urgent call from Yongsheng, the disciples of Nanhongmen were initially stunned—no wonder, as Nanhongmen had dominated Shanghai for decades without such an incident occurring before. The person who answered the phone even thought it was a joke. Making a joke about a false alarm of an attack was a serious matter, and the man who answered the phone was upset. He redialed, intending to scold them, but all he heard was the ringing tone. Only then did he realize something was wrong and quickly called Xiao Fang to inform him of the situation. At that moment, Xiao Fang was focused on Dongxinlei, who was causing chaos in his area. Upon hearing the call, his expression changed instantly. Without delay, he passed the phone to Xiang Wentian. Xiang Wentian, who was chatting cheerfully with Xie Wendong, Bai Ziyi, and others, froze for a moment before quickly regaining his composure. He avoided Xie Wendong’s intense gaze, turned his head aside, and whispered, “Do you know who did this?” “Need I ask? It’s almost certainly related to Xie Wendong! Brother Tian, I want to go rescue them now, but there’s still Dongxinlei at home. I’m afraid he’ll cause trouble if I leave, leaving us trapped on both fronts—that would be a huge problem.” Xiao Fang was sweating profusely from anxiety.
Xiang Wentian picked up his chopsticks and reached for the fish head on the table. After a five-second pause, he said with a smile, “Tell me, is people more important or possessions?”
Xiao Fang didn’t understand Xiang Wentian’s meaning, but Xie Wendong did. When Xiang Wentian’s expression froze while answering the phone, others might not have noticed, but Xie Wendong saw it clearly. He knew that the news of Sanyan and others attacking Yongsheng Mall likely had reached Nanhongmen headquarters, and this call was from them. While Xiang Wentian was strategizing, Xie Wendong was also figuring out what he was thinking. When Xiang Wentian asked, “Is people more important or possessions?” Xie Wendong was shocked. He silently thought, “Lao Lei is in danger.”
Although anxious, Xie Wendong showed no signs on his face; instead, his smile grew even brighter. Calmly, he took out his phone and quickly dialed Dongxinlei’s number. As soon as it connected, he smiled, picked up his glass, brought it to his lips, and lowered his voice to say, “Don’t ask anything. Withdraw immediately!” After saying that, he put away his phone and tilted his head back to drink the wine in his glass.
Xiang Wentian turned his head aside and didn’t see Xie Wendong’s actions. Even if Bai Ziyi and the others saw them, they would be utterly confused. Seeing that Xiao Fang still didn’t understand, Xiang Wentian rolled his eyes helplessly and said, “Xiao Fang, shall I tell you that idiom story about surrounding and rescuing?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fang suddenly understood. He slapped his forehead twice loudly, the sound being so intense that even Xiang Wentian frowned. Xiao Fang smiled and said, “Brother Tian, I get it now. I’ve already prepared enough people. Dong Xinlei can get in this time, but he won’t be able to get out.” He hung up the phone and ordered his subordinates to immediately gather the disciples scattered around the headquarters.
The Nan Hongmen had strict discipline. At a single command, everyone moved swiftly. Within five minutes, the necessary personnel and vehicles were ready. Xiao Fang ordered everyone to get in the vehicles. Just as he got into a car himself, the phone rang again. It was the leader of the Eastern branch of the Nan Hongmen, reporting that Dong Xinlei was leading his men to retreat rapidly toward the south from their territory. The leader also took the time to boast about how intimidating his men were, claiming that even the top figure of the Bei Hongmen didn’t dare to act rashly and had no choice but to withdraw. Xiao Fang’s cheerful expression instantly turned into a grim one. He had no time to listen to his nonsense. Stomping his foot, he shouted, “You idiot! What do you know?! No matter how many people it takes or what losses we incur, we must stop them! Do you hear me? If Dong Xinlei escapes before I get there, I’ll take your head!”
The leader, who had been lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, almost fell off when he heard this. He quickly stood up, mouth agape, and asked, “Brother Xiao… what… what happened?” “Stop talking nonsense! Go and organize people to stop Dong Xinlei!” Xiao Fang was so angry he wanted to scold him further, but fearing it would waste time, he gritted his teeth and hung up the phone.
Dong Xinlei was always fast, and his retreat speed was beyond ordinary people’s reach. Sitting comfortably in the car, he listened to soothing music, smoking a cigarette while tapping his fingers to the rhythm. He was relaxed, but his men couldn’t understand why they were retreating without even fighting. A man in his early thirties sitting in the passenger seat turned around and asked, “Brother Lei, are we really just leaving like this? Isn’t it a bit shameful? At the very least, we should leave something as a souvenir for the Nan Kou.”
Dong Xinlei’s head shook back and forth like a rattle as he laughed and said, “As for withdrawing like this, I don’t know why either, but it’s Brother Dong’s decision. Do you have any objections?” “Ah? It’s the Head Master’s decision!” The burly man immediately lost his energy, turned his head, and muttered softly, “Following the Head Master’s orders usually won’t go wrong.” Xie Wendong’s reputation within the Northern Hongmen grew higher as their influence expanded southward. His momentum was already comparable to that of the Golden Peng’s peak days, and no one in the Northern Hongmen dared to underestimate this head master in his early twenties, possibly the youngest in the history of the Hongmen.
As they were talking, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop. Someone rushed over in a panic from ahead. Seeing his anxious expression, Dong Xinlei was shocked. He pushed open the door and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Brother Lei, the road ahead is blocked by people from the Southern Hongmen. Our convoy can’t pass,” the subordinate said urgently, pointing ahead. Dong Xinlei took a deep breath, thinking to himself, “What fast they are!” He got out of the car and peered ahead. Sure enough, two large trucks were parked right in the middle of the road, blocking it completely. Dozens of men in white, armed with weapons, stood around the trucks. With his extensive experience, Dong Xinlei realized at a glance that the main force of the Southern Hongmen hadn’t arrived yet. The dozen or so men ahead were likely a hastily gathered crowd, whose purpose was undoubtedly to slow down his retreat. He slowly clenched his fist and smiled at the burly man who had been sitting in the passenger seat earlier. “A bunch of lowly scoundrels! Brother, didn’t you want to leave something for the Southern Hongmen? Now’s your chance.” That burly man was Dong Xinlei’s deputy, named Wu Chang. His temperament was the exact opposite of Dong Xinlei’s—calm and composed versus impatient and achievement-driven. Hearing this, Wu Chang grinned. He wasn’t afraid of fighting; he was only afraid of having no battles to fight. He raised his arm, drew out a huge sword hidden under the car, three and a half feet long, and swung it in the air. The heavy blade whistled as it cut through the air as he strode forward.
Seeing this, the others also grabbed their weapons and rushed forward after him. Dong Xinlei thought for a moment before shouting, “Brothers, finish this quickly!” This was the stronghold of the Southern Hongmen. First, they had more reinforcements, while their side was isolated. Second, they were afraid of the police arriving. Given Xiang Wentian’s relationship with the local police, it would be unfavorable for them. Dong Xinlei drew out his battle axe silently and slowly moved forward while scanning the surrounding terrain. Wu Chang kept approaching the men from the Southern Hongmen, asking as he went, “Who’s in charge?”
Among the men in white, a man in his early thirties with dark skin and a face like the bottom of a pot stepped forward and said proudly, “I am it! You are from the North…” Before he could finish speaking, Wu Chang suddenly rushed forward, closing the distance to the man with the dark face in an instant. Without saying a word, he swung his sword in a single strike. Strength determined speed—his strike carried the force of over a hundred pounds, and its speed was so great that the blade reached the other man’s head in the blink of an eye. The man with the dark face didn’t even have time to cry out; he opened his mouth wide and hastily raised his sword to block it.
One came prepared, the other fought in panic. Their strength differences were already huge, so how could the man with the dark face withstand such a devastating blow? There was a loud clang, followed by a splatter of blood. Before his mouth could even close, half of his head had been severed. Wu Chang’s single strike split the man in two, demonstrating the sheer force behind it. He wiped the blood from his sword, spat on the corpse at his feet, and his blood-stained face twisted into a sinister grin as he turned to look at the other disciples of the South Hongmen. The members of the South Hongmen never expected their leader to be unable to withstand a single strike from the opponent. Under his gaze, they all stepped back several steps.
Wu Chang hadn’t moved yet, but the disciples below could no longer hold back. At the cry of one of them raising his sword, they rushed forward and joined the chaos with the members of the South Hongmen. The two groups—black and white—had once been clearly separated, but now they were mixed together, making it impossible to tell friend from foe. Swords flashed, blood sprayed, as if the dark sky might soon be half-red.
Dong Xinlei wielded his mountain-cutting sword, and with each flash of silver light, there was a scream. Although his opponents weren’t strong—mostly the lowest-ranking disciples of the South Hongmen—he showed no mercy. He knew that, unless something unexpected happened, the real forces of the South Hongmen would arrive soon. If he showed mercy now, it would be merciless to himself.
Just as he had predicted, Xiao Fang led a vanguard of no less than two hundred men rushing toward them like a whirlwind. By the time the last disciple of the South Hongmen fled in panic, Xiao Fang’s convoy had arrived. He and Dong Xinlei were old enemies, and hatred flared when they met. Xiao Fang wasn’t just jealous—he was furious at the sight of corpses in white clothes and wounded men groaning in pain. His pale face turned red as he screamed, “Dong Xinlei!”